Anyone install their own Above Ground Pool?

[burmjohn]

We have had the intex one where you take it up and put it down after the season for the last two years. Loved it, cheap way to see if we would want a pool.  Anyways we used it all summer.  Thinking of doing my own above ground pool install, read a lot, watch some video's seems simple enough!  Sounds like the most important thing to do is to make sure the ground is 100% level before putting up the bottom rail.  The good news is where I put the pool now is already level (15 round or so), so I'll just have to extend that out to 18 feet.  

 

I also read a lot where people do not use sand as base for the liner but use either or a combo of a liner pad and foam boards. See if anyone has done that before here? I am definitely getting a line protector for the bottom, this one looks neat: http://www.poolsupplyworld.com/Liner-Armor-LLGP18R-18-Round-Above-Ground-Pool-Liner-Premium-Protection/LLGP18R.htm

 

 

 

[Doewhacker]

We did our liner a few years back, the liner pad would have been great for me. We have sand and with sand it is nearly impossible to get the floor perfect with out any divets or bumps so I would deff do the pad.

 

Google up how to get the wrinkles out of the liner if you havent already, there is a way to use a shop vac and card board with Duct tape to create a seal and smooth that sucker out.

[Doewhacker]

Oh and my neighbor put a pool up yesterday about that size and it went smoothly.

[Jeremy K]

You should really consider a center drain if you put up a pool . You will be glad you did.

[burmjohn]

You should really consider a center drain if you put up a pool . You will be glad you did.

 

For a AGP?

 

Seems like something else that could leak and be hard to winterize. 

 

[Yotehntr]

I put mine up about 2 years ago.  I did some construction work and the people said I could have the pool and deck for free since they were looking at a bigger one.  I just had to take it all down and put it back up.  Sounded like a good and cheap idea at the time.  Never again will I do it.  Pay to have a pool put in may cost more but they are in and out the same day and you are swimming the next.  Took me about a month to dig, level, and build everything on nights and weekends.  I did use an Elephant pad underneath just to protect from anything that may be sharp.  Then this winter the ice blew out the side.  I have had 2 people offer me their pools for free I just have to take them down.  No way maybe i'll take them for the $40 in scrap i got for my pool.  Next summer I will pay to have one put in.

[pewlodar]

For a AGP?

Seems like something else that could leak and be hard to winterize.

My MIL's AGP had a center floor drain up here in Rochester. The only thing we did was disconnect from the filter and tie it up real good. You would lose a lot of water if it fell over. Never had an issue with it through the winter.

[Nomad]

I not a pool expert in any way. When I bought our agp I asked about center drains at the pool store because my buddy mentioned them.the salesman said ," that between the owners of the pool store and all the workers,none of the, had center drains in their agp."

That's was good enough for me.

Edited May 19, 2014 by Larry302

[Culvercreek hunt club]

no center drain in ours and can't see a need for one. Just one more thing to go wrong.

 

I would pay the tab and have it put up by the company. I put in a 15x24 oval. fits to the deck I built better along the whole one side.

[dbHunterNY]

Installed a couple at my parents house with others. Sand is important and the pad is even better on top of that. The pockets from sand are weak points years down the road so if something is over it like the pad then that would be good. That's really the only point of failure for an agp. It helps to have your exit line from the pool to the filter in a spot where you can drain water for winterizing. Bolt ladders down into pool from above deck if you've got one. It helps to put a pad or something soft in your pool under the ladder so it doesn't rub on the liner. Find or renting a manual roller helps that you can fill with water to pack it all opposed to just leveling it with rakes. We had big landscaping rakes which worked better.

[dbHunterNY]

No center drain in any agp I know of either

Edited May 22, 2014 by dbHunterNY

[burmjohn]

Wew after a few weekends of leveling, and crazyness the pool was officially filled up by last night.  I opted for extruded foam instead of sand for a number of reasons for the pool bottom.  There were a number of articles that recommended it, it gives a firm but comfortable bottom.  Plus I didnt have to deal with 3 tons of sand.  I used a foam cove as well.  

 

The hardest part was getting the ground level by digging out from the lowest point, and then getting the pavers in and level as well.  After that everything went fairly smooth.  The scariest part was cutting the liner to install the skimmer and return.  I have my old intex pump and sand filter setup I used from my temp intex pool, it's a perfect size for this one as well (was way overkill for my temp pool). 

 

Just have to wait for the water to warm up now, stocking up on bleach too.  If anyone is interested I only use bleach, borax and baking soda to maintain my pool (for the most part).  

 

Cool place to read up on this stuff is : http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/4935-TFPC-for-Beginners

 

The only time a chlorine tablet is in my pool is if I'm going to be away for more then 3 days.  To much CYA, which is in all the store bought chlorine leads to ever decreasing effectiveness of the bleach / chlorine.  The pool store likes to call this chlorine lock, which is a BS term, but it means your CYA is to damn high.  The only way to get rid of it is to drain your pool partially.  

 

pics:

 

 

[burmjohn]

More pics:

 

 

[Pav2704]

Looks good... Enjoy!!

[burmjohn]

Looks good... Enjoy!!

 

 

Thanks, just a few more things to finish up on the plumbing side of things.  Need some valves and other odds and ends. But I wanted to get everything connected and running to start dumping in the bleach.

[ants]

I have an in ground. 15x34. If there was a way for me to remove it and have it installed at your place, I would do it free of charge. I would even throw in a bunch of rafts, beach balls and pool noodles!!! 

 

Pain in my A$$!!!!$$$!!!

[dbHunterNY]

That's some level ground. We had to dig down at least a couple feet at one end.

[hunter]

Nice job, enjoy.

[burmjohn]

That's some level ground. We had to dig down at least a couple feet at one end.

 

It was off pretty good in spots, which is why it took me so long to level.  Good thing my neighbor needed dirt!

[GreeneHunter]

Enjoy your pool  , my parents used to own a resort years ago and elected me to clean the pool ... now I swim in the local lake or the ocean while on vacation !